SonoSite Introduces Seventh Transducer for Anesthesiologists' Practice On MicroMaxx System.

Full Line of Transducers Designed to Meet the Diverse Requirements of Anesthesiology

BOTHELL, Wash. -- SonoSite, Inc. (NASDAQ:SONO), the world leader in hand-carried ultrasound, announced today at the American Society of Anesthesiologists' Annual Meeting that it has introduced a new high-frequency broadband transducer, the C11e/8-5. With its small footprint, the C11e transducer provides enhanced image quality and deeper penetration for visualizing the delivery of regional anesthesia and line placement. This is the seventh MicroMaxx[R] system transducer offered by SonoSite for a variety of important anesthesiology procedures and assessments. Customer shipments are planned to begin by the end of November.

The C11e transducer is optimal for infraclavicular, supraclavicular and femoral blocks. Its curved array format displays the structures surrounding a nerve that need to be monitored while inserting a needle or catheter.

"The C11e transducer yields a crisp image for nerve block placement and its small size allows for greater ease-of-use and precision," said Jacques Chelly, MD, Professor and Vice Chair of Clinical Research and Director of Acute Intervention and Perioperative Pain Service at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's Presbyterian Shady Side Hospital. "Its addition to the MicroMaxx system's suite of transducers underscores the thoughtful, consistent, and high-quality product design and service that characterize SonoSite's uncommon commitment to the anesthesiologist."

"SonoSite understands that the regional anesthesiologists' needs cannot be adequately met with a single transducer," said Thomas J. Dugan, Senior Vice President for Global Marketing and U.S. Sales. "Relying on the input of leading anesthesiologists, SonoSite designed the easy-to-use MicroMaxx system with the precise features that an anesthesiologist needs - exceptional 2D image quality to monitor needle-nerve interaction and to visualize local anesthetic spread; the durability to withstand the rigors of the perioperative environment, including a water-resistant keyboard that can be wiped down and sanitized; and a proper selection of transducers designed specifically to image multiple anatomical locations and body types."

SonoSite's line of transducers provides exceptional visual acuity for imaging the interscalene, supraclavicular, infraclavicular, sciatic, femoral, popliteal, lumbar plexus and other epidurals. SonoSite is one of the first ultrasound companies with transducers that have regulatory clearance for epidural and lumbar plexus imaging.

The C11e transducer is on display at SonoSite's booth, #939, at the American Society of Anesthesiologists' Annual Meeting at McCormick Place in Chicago, October 14 - 18.

About the MicroMaxx System

Weighing less than 8 pounds, the portability and high performance of the MicroMaxx system is rapidly changing patient assessment at the point-of-care in anesthesiology, emergency medicine, vascular access, critical care and even in the physician's office. A five-year warranty on the system and most of its transducers is a standard feature which dramatically lowers the cost of owning a system in an industry that typically charges 7-10% of a product's purchase price in annual service contracts.

About SonoSite

SonoSite, Inc. (www.sonosite.com) is the innovator and world leader in hand-carried ultrasound, with an installed base of more than 25,000 systems. The company, headquartered near Seattle, is represented by eight subsidiaries and a global distribution network in over 75 countries. SonoSite's small, lightweight systems are expanding the use of ultrasound across the clinical spectrum by cost-effectively bringing high performance ultrasound to the point of patient care. The company employs approximately 500 people worldwide.